# A butterfly flaps its wings in China **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 6, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185 "2007-09-06T00:01:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/1 "2007-09-06T00:01:36Z")
And the sound of it wakes me up in the Isle of Man. I swear I have no useful superpowers, but when I am trying to get to sleep I have hearing that makes spiderman seem like a deaf old godger and sight that makes superman envious. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/2 "2007-09-06T00:10:20Z")
I got two words for you: white noise. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/3 "2007-09-06T00:18:31Z")
I have but one word for you: Percodan. Or Tylenol PM, if you want to be a pussy about it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/4 "2007-09-06T00:19:31Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] I have but one word for you: Percodan. Or Tylenol PM, if you want to be a pussy about it. [/QUOTE] Excuse me, I live within the laws of Britain where anything useful is strictly illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/5 "2007-09-06T00:23:37Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] I got two words for you: white noise. [/QUOTE] I am aware of the concept of uniform sound as an aid to sleep. In my part of the world options are limited. I actually managed to get to sleep one time with (not quite uniform) radio white noise playing at max volume (to drown out my neighbour’s’s fUCKing irritating sunny dispositions and megaphone-volume voices at fuckoff-oclock in the everywhere) but only once. I reckon I should move to tibet or end my life in a painless way. any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/6 "2007-09-06T00:31:27Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] I reckon I should move to tibet or end my life in a painless way. any suggestions? [/QUOTE] Either works for me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/7 "2007-09-06T00:33:40Z")
I have a relatively inexpensive clock-radio/CDplayer/noise generator, without which I’d never be able to catch a wink; my bedroom window is over a daycare center playground, I work till midnight, home by 1am, in bed by 3 or 4am, sleep till around 11am. If my white noise maker ever quits on me, you will read about a daycare-center massacre in the papers. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/8 "2007-09-06T00:41:52Z")
[QUOTE=rayh] Either works for me. 😃 [/QUOTE] So you must be willing to help with suggestions right? ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/9 "2007-09-06T00:50:04Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] So you must be willing to help with suggestions right? [/QUOTE] You want me to look up flights to Tibet for you? Ear plugs? Headphones attached to your computer playing a sound loop, either white noise or wind or waves breaking. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/10 "2007-09-06T01:00:34Z")
[QUOTE=rayh] You want me to look up flights to Tibet for you? Ear plugs? Headphones attached to your computer playing a sound loop, either white noise or wind or waves breaking. [/QUOTE] So you don’t want me dead or remote then. Those were what I gathered by your reply. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/11 "2007-09-06T01:08:38Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] So you must be willing to help with suggestions right? [/QUOTE] would [this help](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=4)?? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/12 "2007-09-06T02:00:10Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] any suggestions? [/QUOTE] [Yes](http://www.livejournal.com/). ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/13 "2007-09-06T02:03:40Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] So you don’t want me dead or remote then. Those were what I gathered by your reply. [/QUOTE] Lack of sleep make you lose your sense of humour? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/14 "2007-09-06T03:26:45Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Excuse me, I live within the laws of Britain where anything useful is strictly illegal. [/QUOTE] The same Britain where I can buy Codeine cough syrup from Boots over the counter (without a prescription)? ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/15 "2007-09-06T04:17:35Z")
Actually, that superpower could be quite useful. You would make the best security guard EVER! ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/16 "2007-09-06T04:19:45Z")
You realize if you move to Tibet, that butterfly will just be noisier. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/17 "2007-09-06T13:11:05Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] You realize if you move to Tibet, that butterfly will just be noisier. [/QUOTE] What is the sound of one wing flapping? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/18 "2007-09-06T14:08:24Z")
If the Chinese don’t do something to rein in\* all those butterflies on their territory, we’re going to have to invade. \*And that’s assuming the government isn’t behind all that flapping in the first place! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/19 "2007-09-06T14:18:08Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] If my white noise maker ever quits on me, you will read about a daycare-center massacre in the papers. [/QUOTE] “Did you ever hear a noise that just makes you want to punch a baby?” - Dane Cook ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/20 "2007-09-06T15:13:27Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] “Did you ever hear a noise that just makes you want to punch a baby?” - Dane Cook [/QUOTE] [Well, as a matter of fact . . .](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rap) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185.md?page=2)